Where did the first meatball come from, no one knows exactly. However there are meatball recipes dating back to the Romans, as found in an ancient recipe book "De re coquinaria libri decem (Cuisine in Ten Books)" written by Marcus Gavius Apicus, who was born in 25 AD. The second book in the set is about mixtures of meat and other ingredients, one recipe is for meatballs. Apicius' also rates meats used for meatballs: "The ground meat patties of peacock have first place, if they are fried so that they remain tender. Well I’m not planning a peacock book just yet, however feel free to changed the ingredients as you wish, the measures are just there as a guide.
Ingredients:
• 1kg (2lb) pound ground (minced) beef
• 1 cup of dry bread crumbs
• Half a cup of milk
• 2 level teaspoons of dried parsley flakes
• 2 finely chopped onions
• 2 eggs
• Salt and pepper to taste
1. Mix all ingredients until well blended
2. Shape into 1 ½ inch meatballs
3. Bake uncovered in 400 degree oven until light brown (20 -25 minutes)
5. Serve as an aperitif with a dip of choice or as a main course
